UPDATE: Local 1181 representatives announced a strike will begin among school bus drivers on Wednesday, January 16. A walkout could still be averted if a deal is reached before that time. Mayor Michael Bloomberg and School’s Chancellor Dennis Walcott issued a statement regarding the impending school bus strike at a press conference on Monday. “Should [...]
A city-wide school-bus strike, leaving 152,000 children stranded, is likely to begin on Wednesday. According to the New York Post, Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1181 has begun printing strike posters, assigning members to picket line locations at various bus yards and handed out a list of “do’s” and “don’ts” for conduct during a strike. The [...]
Two Long Island City schools have great chemistry. At a Thursday, October 18 ceremony, Schools Chancellor Dennis M. Walcott cut the ribbon to open the science-oriented extension connecting Middle College High School and International High School at LaGuardia College in Long Island City. Joined by Congressmember Carolyn B. Maloney, Assemblymember Catherine Nolan, Middle College High [...]
Parents looking to enroll their tiny tots in a free education program have until the end of the month to do so. Universal Prekindergarten (UPK) programs throughout the five boroughs still have several thousand seats left to be filled, according to city leaders. The program, hosted by a select group of local public schools and [...]
It could be final bell for 217 city schools whose progress reports showed dismal grades. The progress reports include “A” through “F” grades of 1,193 elementary and middle schools. The schools who scored a “D” or an “F,” or no higher than a “C” for three years, could be on the chopping block, with this [...]
Department of Education (DOE) Chancellor Dennis Walcott will have to rise to many challenges this fall, and he is prepared to do so. Walcott attended District 29’s Education Town Hall meeting Thursday, September 20, both the district’s and the chancellor’s first town hall meeting of the school year. Walcott took the opportunity to convey his [...]
Ninth graders at an embattled Flushing High School have been given a $300,000 leg up. The Sports & Arts in Schools Foundation (SASF), an after-school program at the struggling school, received the hefty grant from AT&T and Schools Chancellor Dennis Walcott on Wednesday, September 19. With the donated funds, 100 incoming ninth graders will receive [...]
An overcrowded P.S. 176 is set to receive a much-needed and well-deserved expansion. The Cambria Heights elementary school is currently at 140 percent capacity, but will receive an extra 370 seats thanks to the expansion, fueled by Department of Education (DOE) Chancellor Dennis Walcott and other local officials. “I like to see growth and things [...]
Out of school and into the work force. Mayor Michael Bloomberg helped kick off the first day of the city’s summer youth employment program at the Queens Botanical Gardens, which will have 35 employees working as garden greeters, horticulture aides and aides to the children’s garden. More than 31,000 city kids are participating in the [...]
Soon, some Queens kids will be able to breathe a little easier. In honor of Asthma Awareness Month, a two-week long campaign from the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) called “Stop Idling” will be enforced through June 6. “Stop Idling” will target areas around P.S. 206 in Rego Park; P.S. 220 in Forest Hills; P.S. [...]
